FORT HOOD, Texas - Soldiers in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Squadron are training to show they are ready to engage the enemy in a fight.
Based out of Fort Hood, Texas, the “Tiger Squadron” is participating in a multi-day live fire training exercise in preparation for an upcoming rotation at National Training Center (NTC), located at Fort Irwin, California.
The squadron, led by Lt. Col. Ryan Bulger, is ready for the opportunity to show off their skills.
“This training is designed to test the platoon leader and platoon sergeants capabilities to integrate direct and indirect fire,” said Bulger. “The training is about building readiness across the board.”
Bulger said when the standard isn’t met during these training exercises, there is a continuation of training until the platoon meets their goal, which is the ultimate end game. “We are required to build the extra step in our training strategy, so there is plenty of opportunity to do retraining, if needed,” said Bulger. “If we need to go back and redo a step, we have the chance to go back and redo it.”
Command Sergeant Major Pedro Chavez, the senior non-commissioned officer for Tiger Squadron, agrees. He said before the squadron can move to live fire, they have to show they are capable of performing in the dry run, no matter how long it may take.
“We certify our leaders every year at the individual level, then the squad level, even the platoon,” said Chavez. “It keeps us fresh, with the basic knowledge that comes with our mission.”
When it comes to the bottom line, Lt. Col. Bulger said it's all about making sure the troops have the training they need to be successful on the battlefield. The live fire exercise gives leaders a gauge of where the soldiers stand in their skills, and where adjustments need to be made.
“This training gives us a baseline of where the soldiers’ skills are, where their readiness level is,” said Bulger. “Once we know, we can build them to make them a more lethal force.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Chavez said that even though the training is tough, the soldiers enjoy the challenge they understand there is a definite purpose for the training, and they can not only visually see the results, but can also audibly experience the event, which better prepares them for combat.
“The soldiers not only get the visual effect of shooting, but also the audio effect when something like a mortar goes off,” said Chavez. “It gives them a real sense of what’s going on.”
As the platoon prepares to conduct more iterations of training before leaving for NTC in January 2021, Bulger said that he was pleased with the soldiers progress in the training thus far.
“The soldiers show up with the attitude that they want to be better on each rep,” said Bulger. “I tell them I want them to have a positive attitude to learn and get better every day.”
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| Date Taken: |
09.12.2020 |
| Date Posted: |
10.02.2020 08:15 |
| Story ID: |
379023 |
| Location: |
US |
| Web Views: |
121 |
| Downloads: |
2 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Tiger Squadron: National Training Center Bound, by SSG John Todd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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